First taste: Fish & Forest's new restaurant in Grape Lane

YORK chef Stephen Andrews is the first to admit he has made a rod for his own back with one of the best-sellers on the menu.

Simply named 'Mack is Back' - this dish gets top billing on the chalkboard at Stephen's Fish & Forest restaurant which has recently opened in Grape Lane having previously been based in Micklegate.

Our waitress described the starter plate as mackerel coated in crispy breadcrumbs with garlic butter inside.

But it wasn't until it arrived and I cut into it and saw the river of molten butter break out that I clicked: this is really a mackerel Kiev - or Kyiv as we might well have to name it now.

Chef Stephen Andrews inside the new restaurant with Dan Cimmermann's painting of a giant mackerel on the wall (Image - Supplied)

And this is exactly what Stephen calls it when he comes out to chat to our table following his first night at the helm of the new place.

He admits its the most faffy dish in his armoury on account he has to fillet the fish, make a paste, put it in a mould, coat in breadcrumbs then deep fry. "If you don't get that right, the butter doesn't melt," he explains with a weary sigh.

But he can't take it off the menu because his customers love it he tells us.

Tonight is a 'soft launch' of Fish & Forest mark 4. From humble beginnings in Spark, Stephen then moved to the Gillygate pub before heading across town to Micklegate (earning an entry in the Michelin Guide along the way).

He has now taken over the ground floor of what was 1331 (which is owned by his parents and who are still running 1331 as a bar upstairs). At the old Fish & Forest in Micklegate, Stephen has reformulated it as a wine bar, Notes.

Friends, family and journalists have been invited to the new Grape Lane outlet tonight to road test the menu.

Having reviewed Fish & Forest's previous incarnations, I had high expectations that the food, with a sharp focus on sustainable game and fish, would be adventurous and delicious - with a few surprises along the way.

And I was spot on.

There were four of us in our group, so we did justice to the small (always a plus in my book) menu which came chalked up on a blackboard with a choice of six starters and four mains.

We placed our order and enjoyed a glass of wine and dived into some thick doorsteps of sourdough bread and butter generously topped with sea salt.

When the starters arrived, we were ready for them. The Mack is Back resembled a Scotch egg, but turbo charged for size. The coating delivered a great crunch, and provided a firm bed for the soft mackerel inside, which in turn was given a seductive massage by the hot, oozing garlic butter. Chef, it was worth all the hard work!

The Mack is Back - a mackerel Kyiv - at Fish & Forest

We also enjoyed a salad of heirloom tomatoes - a refreshing and tangy choice for a summer night; the crab on toast was another flavoursome option for the season. My favourite however was the monktail with sweetcorn and barbecue sauce; the fish was meaty but tender and the sauce and corn added a delicious sweet note.

Mains were equally knock-out. Sticking with fish, I chose the stonebass which came perfectly grilled (its skin dark and crispy) and partnered with cauliflower three ways: a puree, a pickle and char-roasted florets.

Two of the gang plumped for venison, served with beetroot and plum. The meat was cooked pink and was melt-in-the-mouth tender. Sighs of delight all round.

The veggie choice was a meaty Panko-crumbed aubergine with pickled courgette, and won praise too from the vegetarian in our party.

Dessert choices amounted to a cherry semi-fredo with cookies and sharp cherry sauce, a chocolate delice with cream and raspberry, as well as a cheese plate. We tried all three and found them the perfect ending to a top-notch meal, agreeing if there was a winner, it would be the faultless chocolate pudding which was smooth and sweet and totally indulgent.

Chocolate delice at Fish & Forest

Chatting to Stephen after the meal, he revealed he'd had a 'mare of a morning, from his new oven not working, two blenders packing in, and his produce not being delivered.

Somehow, he managed to sort it all out, and get Fish & Forest up and running in time for guests arriving.

Which is just as well, because he also told us he was fully booked the next few nights!

He may have moved to a new location, but we are delighted to report Stephen has brought with him the high standards in food and service that Fish & Forest fans have come to expect.

And from his new city centre location, we are sure he will be reeling in new admirers too.

Find out more at: fishandforestrestaurant.com